


Overheard

by Lutefiskfisk



Category: Orange is the New Black
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Confrontations, Domestic, Drabble Collection, Drunkenness, F/F, Family, Family Issues, Fluff, Homophobia, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Jealousy, Mental Health Issues, Nichorello, One Shot Collection, Post-Canon, Self-Esteem Issues, Shorts, Unresolved Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 01:40:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 3,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17173424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lutefiskfisk/pseuds/Lutefiskfisk
Summary: Short post-prison moments in which Nicky and Lorna react to things that are said by the people in their lives.





	1. Lorna

**Author's Note:**

> These little scenes are not sorted chronologically, but in a way that a) alternates between Nicky and Lorna at the "receiving end" and b) hopefully kind of balances out the different tones. I added to each scene the time in which it takes place, following the assumption that Season 1 takes place in late 2012 and that Nicky and Lorna get out of prison in early 2015.
> 
> As always, feedback is appreciated!

_Winter 2016_

Nicky was about to sit next to Lorna on the couch, when the shorter woman wrapped her arms around her neck.

"Oh, come here, honey bunny!" Lorna cooed.

Nicky cocked a brow. "What was that?"

"Well, I call you honey ‘cause it fits you ‘cause you're sweet. But it also doesn't fit you right ‘cause you're sweeter than sweet, so you're honey bunny now."

"Urgh, really?" Nicky said, feeling a blush creep onto her face.

Lorna smiled and leant forward, bumping Nicky's shoulder with hers. "Aw, you don't like it?"

"Uh… I mean… I guess it's kinda cool if you're Pumpkin and want us to rob restaurants, but else…" the blonde said evasively, but Lorna just giggled.

"Aw, you're so cute when you're embarrassed, my little honey bunny sugar muffin!"

Nicky turned her head to the side, scrunching up her nose, but she couldn't keep the corners of her mouth from twitching, and, sure enough, it didn't escape Lorna's eyes. Still giggling, the brunette cupped her cheek in her hand and gently turned her face back to her, before she leant in. For a moment, their foreheads and noses touched, and then, Nicky captured Lorna's lips with hers.

"Oh, I'm gonna sugar your muffin," she said, pushing Lorna onto her back, and leant down for another kiss.

 


	2. Nicky

_Summer 2015_

Lorna's spine tingled with anticipation as she was unashamedly staring at the bare bum of her girlfriend who was entering the shower. But just a second later, Nicky stepped right out of it.

"Eh, maybe we shouldn't," Nicky said.

Lorna frowned. "Why? What's wrong?"

"We may have an audience."

"That's never bothered you before," Lorna smirked as she reached into Nicky's fluffy mane of hair and lightly pulled, thinking back to the countless times when they'd had sex in the prison showers. But then, she realized that they weren't in Litchfield anymore and that Nicky wasn't making any sense. She let go of her and poked her own head into the shower.

"Are you talking about that spider up there?"

"Uh…"

Lorna shrugged and walked out of the bathroom to return with a glass and a sheet of paper. She swiftly caught the intruding animal and let it out through the window. When she turned around, she saw Nicky standing there with her back pressed against the opposite wall and a haunted look on her face.

"Are you okay?" Lorna asked.

"Just phenomenal," Nicky replied, but when Lorna raised her brows in disbelief, she added, "Alright, alright, so, I fucking hate spiders. Happy now?"

As she spoke, she blushed endearingly and Lorna couldn't help but smile.

"Aw, I didn't know that."

"Yeah, well, it's fucking embarrassing."

Lorna walked over to her and placed her hands on her shoulders.

"It's not. A lotta people don't like them, and I think it's adorable."

Nicky scoffed. "Yeah, if ‘adorable' is just another word for-"

"Shh," Lorna said, silencing Nicky by pressing her index finger to her lips. "Shut up and come shower with me," she added before she pushed the other girl against the wall and replaced her finger with her lips, relishing in the feeling that for once, _she_ got to be the protective one.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to junkienicky for the idea that Nicky has arachnophobia.


	3. Carmine

_Fall 2016_

Nicky and Lorna stood waiting in the foyer of their apartment as Franny was donning her coat after having paid a visit to the couple and their toddler son. It was then that Carmine walked over to them and tugged at Franny's sleeve.

"Auntie Fwanny, you a fuck!"

Eyes wide, Franny stared down at her nephew. "What did you just say, young man?"

"You a fuck!" the two-year-old exclaimed, grinning broadly, and then started to run in circles, shouting gleefully,

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fucky, fucky, fuck!"

"Explain this to me," Franny said, turning to the other women with a defeated sort of look on her face.

Lorna looked utterly mortified while Nicky was making a face as though she'd gotten stuck in the middle of a silent laugh.

"I think _a certain someone_ needs to be careful of how she speaks around her son," Lorna finally said through gritted teeth.

"That's right, babe," Nicky said. "If I got a dollar every time you drop the F-bomb, I'd be swimming in cash by now."

"Yeah, we should set up a swear jar and see how it goes," Lorna muttered under her breath, while a chuckling Nicky went to scoop up Carmine.

"Now," she said, holding her son to her eye level. "be a good boy and don't say that word unless you want _those two_ to get their panties in a twist."

"Fuck!"

This time, Nicky wasn't able to hold back and she did burst out in laughter.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe or maybe not, Carmine was inspired by myself who liked to show off newly acquired vocabulary as a kid, unaware that it was completely inappropiate shit. Lol.


	4. Vinnie

_Fall 2016_

Lorna was feeling ugly these days. The stress of taking care of a toddler and working in the burger joint had left its marks on her. She felt constantly tired, her hair was in dire need of a cut, and she was sure that she'd never not reek of grease again. Nicky told her day after day that she was beautiful, but as her girlfriend, she was supposed to say that, wasn't she? So she felt extra self-conscious when she met Vinnie again.

The blonde had insisted that she'd partake in the occasion and that it'd take place on neutral grounds. She couldn't forbid Vinnie to see his son, but that didn't mean that she trusted the prick with Lorna. He'd been quick to abandon her, but, flaky as he was, he could just as quickly try to win her back, and she didn't like that idea one bit.

The four of them settled down in a booth in their favorite café, Nicky and Lorna on one bench, and Vinnie and Carmine on the opposite one.

"You look very beautiful today, Lorna," Vinnie suddenly said after a round of smalltalk.

Lorna blushed. For a moment, she just stared at her ex-husband, feeling both taken aback and flattered, but she snapped out of her stupor when Nicky possessively wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Lorna didn't fail to notice that the other woman's hand was shaking and she looked up at her.

Nicky's eyes were firmly trained on Vinnie, a hard expression masking the heated emotions within. Lorna leant into her, comfortingly wrapping her own arm around her waist, and as Nicky looked down at her, her face softened.

"Yes, she does," Nicky said, casting Vinnie a challenging glance. "We both have great taste, man."

Lorna couldn't help but smile and she raised her head and gave Nicky a kiss on the cheek.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I headcanon that Lorna first has a part-time job flipping burgers and later goes to cosmetology school. Not sure what Nicky does. Maybe work some odd jobs here and there before she settles onto something permanent.


	5. Les

_Fall 2015_

Nicky didn't realize that she'd walked past the man until he called after her, and when she saw who it was, she immediately turned her back and resumed walking.

"Jesus, Nicky, will you listen to me?"

Nicky condescended to stop and face him again. "The fuck are you doing here, Les?" she snapped, wondering how her father even knew where she lived and if Christopher had been feeling this way.

"Watch your mouth!"

Nicky let out a groan. "Fine then. So, to what do I owe the honor of this _rare_ visit of yours?"

Les ignored her. "How're you doing, kid? Are you getting by? I guess the question answers itself seeing that you live in _this_ part of town." He chuckled awkwardly. "So, if you need anything-"

Nicky gave him the once-over. She realized that he was wearing just a casual sweater instead of his usual suit and she wondered if he'd taken the day off just for this or, and this was more likely, if he was expecting to get mugged if he was dressed too nicely in this place.

"Eh, look, we both know that you haven't come here just to chit-chat about my living situation," she said. "So please do us both a favor and get to the point, yeah? Some of us have work to go to, you know."

"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to come to our Sunday brunch this weekend," Les explained, businesslike, as though he was scheduling a work meeting. "To reconnect with the family, you know. Meet your half-siblings."

For a moment, Nicky just gawked at him. The same man who'd never bothered to tell her that she had siblings, who'd even denied her very existence, seriously wanted her to visit? And for what? So that she could watch him act like Father of the Year and give him a pat on the back? That seemed ludicrous, even for him.

But then, it all clicked into place.

"Was this really your idea or did your wifey send you?"

"Does that really matter?"

Nicky let out a snort. "Fuck you, Les!" she spat as she whirled around, and without another look back, she marched off, feeling that her day was ruined before it had even started.

 


	6. Christopher

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Christopher insulting Lorna's mental health quite a lot.

_Summer 2015_

It was an ordinary afternoon and Lorna was strolling in the park, when _he_ crossed her path, and for a moment, it felt like her heart had stopped.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" Christopher hissed venomously. "Haven't I told you to never come near me again, you fucking psycho bitch?"

"I-I didn't mean to-" Lorna started, but Christopher cut her off.

"Spare me the bullshit. You just won't stay away, will you? Or maybe you can't help it, huh? Something's wrong, deep, _deep_ inside you."

"No!" Lorna exclaimed, and it felt like an attempt to convince herself rather than him. "I'm not like that anymore! I've changed!"

"Don't you kid yourself. Your kind of crazy can't change. You're rotten to the core. It takes _one_ single goddamn look at you for anyone to see how disturbed you are. Have you never asked yourself why they all call you _Lorna la Loca_?"

"They don't really know me! Ask someone who does! Ask Nicky! Ask Red-"

"Oh, trust me, they see it, too, they're just too nice to say something. But no-one in their right mind wants a freak like you. And you don't deserve good, _normal_ , people like them. You deserve _nothing_!"

Tears were streaming down Lorna's cheeks now, but Christopher kept digging into her and his voice grew louder and louder as he continued,

"What would they say if I told them that you tried to kill Angela? Thinking that I'd _want_ you after that? I mean, how fucked in the head must you be to think like that?" And it seemed as though everyone around them turned their head at her and she was surrounded by relentless hissing; angry, condemning voices all around her. "You're so fucking deluded. You're living in a goddamn fantasy world, and it's time to wake the fuck up!"

And he grabbed her, hard, and shook her, and his voice was ringing in her ears.

"Wake up, psycho! Wake up! Wake the fuck up!"

"Wake up!"

Lorna gasped loudly and suddenly, she found herself in the brightly lit bedroom, and Nicky, who appeared to have just gotten ready for bed, was hovering above her, looking concerned and gripping her shoulder as she shook her awake.

"Nicky…" Lorna whimpered in desperation, trying to make sense of what had just happened. She couldn't possibly have teleported, but everything had felt so real. She could still feel those tears on her face.

In a heartbeat, Nicky had lain down beside her and enveloped her, tightly, in her arms.

"Shh," she said. "It was just a dream. Just a bad dream. But it's alright now, babe. You're safe. I've got you."

Lorna gripped her back for dear life and burrowed into her, taking in the comforting warmth of her body, her familiar scent, her soothing voice and the feel of her hand that was rubbing her back and of her lips that kept dropping small kisses on the crown of her head. All those things that were too good for someone like her, because even if Nicky hadn't thought like that before, Lorna assumed, she'd surely heard all those words that Christopher had said and realized how ugly, how fucked-up, she, Lorna, was on the inside. And she had no idea what she could possibly have that could make Nicky see past all that madness of hers and maybe, somehow, hopefully, keep loving her in spite of it.

 


	7. Piper

_Spring 2016_

Nicky wished for a quiet night, and then asked herself when the fuck she'd aged twenty years.

But here she was, concluding her night out with Piper, an inglorious end of what could've been a pleasant occasion had Piper not been determined to get thoroughly shitfaced and had Nicky not simultaneously promised Lorna to abstain from alcohol, so that she was forced to live through the whole trainwreck with decidedly too much awareness.

"I fuckin' miss Alex so much," Piper whined for what must've been the twentieth time this evening while she was trudging down the street, heavily leaning on Nicky who kept her eyes peeled for a cab to take them to the apartment of Lorna's and hers. The shorter woman certainly didn't trust Piper to get home by herself. "What's the point of being married if you barely get to see each other, huh? I fuckin' see _Larry_ more often these days, can you believe it?"

Nicky couldn't think of anything helpful to say. She knew the feeling all too well, considering that Red would remain behind bars for the next nine years. But at least she had Lorna. She couldn't even begin to imagine having to deal with neither of them for another two years. Maybe that's why Piper had gotten wasted in the first place. She'd probably expected some good advice or commiseration from Nicky, but, of course, she hadn't been able to give her that. Definitely not for the first time in her life, the shorter woman felt like an utter failure.

"Hey, don't say such shit, Chapman," Nicky berated her whilst hailing a nearby cab that stopped in front if them. "You guys had the single most magical fucking wedding Litchfield has ever seen. That's a memory you should hold onto."

She helped Piper into the backseat of the cab and sat next to her.

"Yeah, getting married was nice," Piper reminisced with a dopey smile on her face while Nicky gave the driver her address. "Everyone should do that. You do, too!" she suddenly exclaimed, grabbing Nicky by the arm. "Now, when are you popping the question on Lorna?"

Heat rose to Nicky's face. It wasn't like she'd never thought about it. In fact, the idea kept crossing her mind ever since she'd made that damn collage for Lorna all those years ago. But was she really ready for this? To think about it was scary as fuck. After all, her relationship with Lorna was her first one, ever, that she was really into with all her heart, and she still felt like she didn't know what she was doing half the time. But on the other hand, the thought of being with somebody else was downright absurd.

Whenever she tried to imagine her future, she saw Lorna there, the woman who was now her home and the reason why she had started to believe in a future for herself in the first place - but what else? It was weird, and maybe it was because all that babble of Lorna's had finally brainwashed her, but she kept picturing a bunch of kids, a nice house somewhere in the suburbs, maybe a dog… If her younger self knew that one day, she'd envision, even _long for_ that lame-ass, traditional, picture-perfect family sort of shit, she'd surely declare her current self out of her fucking mind. But the truth was that the idea of sharing those things with _Lorna_ made her heart race with excitement.

She was in so fucking deep.

A soft snore jolted Nicky out of her thoughts. Piper had fallen asleep, drooling onto her shoulder and blissfully unaware of the effect that her innocent question had on Nicky, who hoped against hope that she wouldn't get to talk to Lorna before she sobered up.

 


	8. Giuseppe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: "Big Joe" being a big homophobe.
> 
> Papà = Dad  
> Dannazione = Dammit  
> Per l'amor di Dio = For the love of God  
> Signorina = Young lady

_Fall 2015_

Hit with the realization that she hadn't been to church since her release from prison, Lorna paid her family a spontaneous visit to join in their weekly ritual. Franny, who was still busy getting her kids dressed, advised her to wait in the living room, where, unsurprisingly, her father, already clad in his church attire, was passing the time in front of the TV.

When she explained the reason for her visit to him, the patriarch wordlessly turned his gaze back to his Sunday morning news, a deep crease etched between his brows as he frowned.

"What... what is it, _papà_?" Lorna asked, feeling anxious.

"The people in the community are talking, Lorna," Giuseppe said, his gaze stubbornly fixed on the TV.

"What d'you mean?"

"You were in prison. Can you imagine what that looked like to everyone? What it was like for me and your siblings? The stares! The rumors! The gossip, _dannazione_! And just when it all stopped, you come back and _what_? You've stopped going to church and you're sleeping with another woman, and now all the world's running their mouth ‘bout Lorna Morello, the prison dyke who's doing all she can to fully devote herself to a life of sin!"

Lorna's blood ran cold. Deep down, she'd always known that this would be happening. Thoughts of it had made her escape into fantasies of Christopher and repress her feelings for poor Nicky for way too long. And still, hearing out of _her father's_ mouth that all those things she'd feared had come true, that her family had suffered because of her and that she wasn't welcome, felt like a slap in the face. She used to be her daddy's girl. Always had been. Until that fateful day when the cops had rung at their door.

"Thank God your poor mother don't understand any of that!"

She felt the guilt shoot through her chest as white-hot pain. And, yet, there was this ever-growing spark of anger. She'd been in prison because she'd done some unforgivable things, she knew that now. But being with Nicky was something for which she could no longer feel guilty. Nicky was one of the best persons she'd ever known, and the thought that someone could look at her and see their relationship as less than the beautiful, precious thing that it was made her want to be physically sick.

"I love her and she makes me happy!" she blurted out in a reckless bout of protectiveness that surprised herself. "Isn't that what's important, dad? That your child is happy?"

"Of course, my dear, but with a _man_. The father of your child. _Per l'amor di Dio_ , your boy needs his mother _and his father,_ and you deserve better than being the whore of some godless pussy licker!"

Lorna didn't fail to notice the hypocrisy and she felt the onset of a headache.

" _I deserve better_? _I_ deserve better _?_ Really? Never mind that you have _no right_ to speak like that about Nicky, how can you mean that when you just said I'm a disgrace to the community ‘cause I live a life of sin?"

"Don't you dare putting words into my mouth, _signorina_!"

"I can't have this conversation now!" Lorna snapped and stormed out of the room before her father got the chance to see the tears in her eyes.

 


	9. Red

_Summer 2015_

Nicky had been dreading this meeting ever since she'd gotten out of prison. But months had passed and she figured that she couldn't put this off any longer if she wanted to remain able to look at herself in the mirror.

And so it was that she found herself back in Litchfield, sitting across from her _true_ mother on the other side of that godforsaken piece of plexiglass that would be separating them for the next ten years.

"I'm so sorry, Mom," Nicky eventually said, pained by the mere sight of Red in her inmate uniform. She wouldn't be wearing that if it hadn't been for her. She'd be on the outside, reunited with her boys and her grandkids and, if she'd wanted to, part of the little family that Lorna and herself had built for themselves.

Red smiled, as though Nicky was reacting in an endearingly exaggerated way to something that wasn't even worth a mention. "Oh, my little girl, you have nothing to be sorry for."

"Do you have Alzheimer's or something?" Nicky said incredulously. "I ratted you out and gave you _ten more years_ in this shithole, remember?"

She wished that Red would be angry, berating her. That she was so calm, so understanding, made her feel even worse. But maybe this was meant to be her punishment: being forced to deal with her guilt by herself for the rest of her life.

"No, Nicky. You did right. It would've happened anyway and you know I couldn't have lived with myself if you'd sacrificed your whole life just to save my sorry old ass. But _you_ \- you are still young and you have your whole life before you."

"But-"

"No _‘but'_. Listen - you wanna make it up to me? Then _live_. Live your life as best you can. Stay clean. Take care of yourself. Tell Lorna and Carmine that you love them every day. Travel. See the world. Have a good life. I want you to be out there and to be happy. And it is no life if you keep looking back, thinking of what could've been. Understand?"

Nicky swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Yes, Mom."

"Promise me that, Nicky," Red said, her blue eyes piercing into those of the younger woman as she placed her hand onto the screen between them. "Promise me that you'll live."

Nicky lifted her own hand and pressed it against Red's on her side of the glass.

"I promise."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason, I recently have dreams of reading articles in which Nicky's death in s7 is confirmed, interviews with Natasha and all. So, I needed that.
> 
> Shoutout to NanasTeaParty from whom I borrowed the idea of a "hands on the glass" scene.


End file.
